ABCD
by In A Tizzy
Summary: He had an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that morning. She had a baby adoption meeting that morning. Carter and Deb meet at Doc Magoo's and talk about their respective meetings. One Shot set during Season 7 The Visit. Carter / Deb friendship.


_This story takes place during the Season 7 episode The Visit. Think of it as a scene they forgot to write. It tucks into the episode after the scene where Jing Mei talks to the adoption lady, but before the one where Carter arrives in the ER for his shift. _

ABCD

**A**lcoholics Anonymous Meeting

**B**aby Adoption Meeting

**C**arter

**D**eb

Jing Mei walked into Doc Magoo's and spotted her friend in a booth over in the corner. The waitress was there placing two steaming hot cups of coffee before him. He looked up, saw her and smiled. She hurried over to the table.

"Good morning" he said as he pushed his newspaper to the side.

"Good morning" she returned his greeting as she negotiated her way into the seat. With the size of her abdomen, it took a bit of maneuvering.

Noting her difficulty, Carter apologized. "I'm sorry. Maybe the counter would have been easier."

"It's okay" she said "everything's about navigating around the belly these days."

Carter let out a pop of air signaling his amusement at the statement. He slid the cup that sat on a saucer with an orange ring across the table, saying "yours is decaf".

"Thanks. So um, how did your AA meeting go this morning?" she asked.

He took a sip of his coffee. "Boring, I got a crossword puzzle done though. I was working on the Word Jumble waiting for you."

She cautioned him, "John, those meetings can't help you if you don't pay attention."

Carter rolled his eyeballs. "You sound just like Abby" he said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Abby?" Jing Mei was surprised by the reference.

"She's a…she's…she's my sponsor." Carter ducked his head and ran his hand through his hair. It's not information he was supposed to share and he knew it.

Concerned, Jing Mei cautioned him. "Abby's sponsoring you? John, I don't think that's a good idea."

"What? You think I have a romantic interest in her?" He asked incredulously.

"I didn't say that." She hesitated for a moment, taking a sip of her coffee. "It's just that you may be ruffling some feathers."

"What feathers am I ruffling exactly?"

Jing Mei began to explain "You know that Abby is dating Luka?" Carter looked at her as if she wasn't making any sense. Disregarding his feigned confusion, she continued, "I just worked the overnight with him, he seemed really distracted."

"I think Luka was distracted by something else entirely." Realizing his defensive posture, Carter changed the subject along with his demeanor. "So…how did your meeting go this morning?"

Jing Mei sighed heavily. "She told me the baby's father has rights. He has to sign legal papers giving me permission to put my baby up for adoption."

Carter studied her face. He could see how much this troubled her. "You don't want to talk to the father, do you?" Jing Mei silently shook her head from side to side. "He really hurt you by not calling you afterwards, didn't he?" This time the response was a silent nod. As gently as he could, he approached the heart of the problem, "So, not telling him about the baby is…"

She locked her eyes on his. The hurt registering in her voice, she owned up to her feelings. "He doesn't deserve to know."

"You may be right, but is that what's best for your baby?" Carter asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're carrying a baby Deb, a tiny little person completely dependent on you to do what's right, to do what will give him the best chance to grow up happy and knowing he's loved and wanted. That is what you want for your baby, right?"

She nodded silently.

"Then, whether he deserves to know or not, you need to tell him."

With a forlorn face, she gazed out the window, pondering what she had to do next. "What if he wants to keep the baby?"

"Seven and a half months, he's made no attempt to see you. I doubt a few minutes with a pregnant you will get him to reconsider his whole way of life."

Jing Mei hung her head. That was downright depressing.

Seeing her reaction, Carter tilted his head back, closed his eyes and tightened his lips. He was trying to help his friend, not hurt her. He took a huge, cleansing breath. "Deb, look, I don't know the guy, but if he hasn't made an effort to see you, it's not likely he'll make an effort for your baby." He reached out and put his hand on hers. "It's not you, it's him." He tilted her chin up so that he could look her in the eye. "You're a beautiful woman…smart…warm…caring…a guy that doesn't want that, doesn't deserve you."

She gave him a quick, little half smile. She appreciated his apology as well as his attempt to make her feel better.

"You can do it Deb, just tell him you want to do what's best for the baby. Do you know where he is? 

She bobbed her head slightly. "He works at County" she whispered.

"Have you tried to see him?" Carter asked.

Jing Mei recalled the events that transpired back in the Spring. "I spoke to him once on the phone. He said he was busy and would call back. Week went by, he didn't call, so I tried again, left a message." She shook her head "He never called back. Then when I discovered I was pregnant, I tried going upstairs to actually see him. They covered for him, said he'd come down to see me but..."

"Sounds like you were extracurricular for him." Carter concluded.

Jing Mei shook her head. "I checked for a ring."

"Maybe he doesn't wear it at work." He tried to encourage her by noting, "If he is married or has a significant other, he'll probably be relieved you want to put the baby up for adoption. Save him a lot of explaining and free him from financial responsibility."

She took heart in his words. "I gotta go up there this morning, try and catch him before lunch. What time is it?"

Carter looked at his watch, "a little after eleven."

"Oh, I need to get going." She tried to inconspicuously stretch her arms down and out to the side as she yawned. "Soon as the paperwork is filed, I can go home and go to bed. I need to get some sleep." The flipping of day and night shifts were getting a lot tougher in her last trimester.

"Hold on, let me pay the check. I'll walk across the street with you."

"You working a split shift?"

"No actually, noon to midnight."

"You'll be a little early."

Carter shrugged off the notion, "enh, brownie points."

The comment made her smile, even giggle slightly. He was glad he could make her feel better. They walked across the street to the hospital. "Have a good shift" she told him before entering the main doors.

"Good luck and Good night!" He replied and headed for ER entrance in the ambulance bay.


End file.
